This story idea came to me when I saw a photo fake of Amanda Tapping, supposedly of her nude. I wondered how Bones would react to a picture being manipulated to make her like that, and what Booth's reaction would be. This is the result. Hope you like it. Simple and short. I have two new chapters of The List prepared and will be posting them tomorrow once I give them a final once over.

Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Angela and Brennan were huddled around the latter's computer in Brennan's office at the Jeffersonian. Bren's editor had called and let her know of something online that may be of concern. The two friends were now at the specific site that the editor had given.

"That's not me, Ange," Bones said as she looked at the image in question.

Angela nodded. "I know, Sweetie, but whoever faked this image was good. Damn good. The body dimensions are an excellent match for yours, as well as skin tone. I can't see the point where the real and fake begins," she commented.

There on the screen was an image of what appeared to be a very naked Dr. Temperance Brennan on her hands and knees from the back, though slightly profiled, with a sexy smile on her face as she appeared to be looking back over her left shoulder at whoever was taking the photo. Nothing was left to the imagination in the photo. Not that that part mattered to the two women. They appreciated the human body, both male and female, so nude images, whether photographic or some other medium, was not a problem. A rather sexy, if a bit raunchy, pose was also not a problem.

"I'm not sure why my editor feels that this is a problem," Brennan admitted.

Angela sighed. Bren was so brilliant that it was scary, but her understanding of the real world left a lot to be desired. "The problem is that many people don't like this kind of imagery, and feel that it is obscene. A lot of those same people are devoted followers of your books, Sweetie. If they believe that you are posing for pornographic pictures, or what they consider pornographic, they'll possibly be offended and not want anything to do with your books," she explained. "And don't forget Booth."

"What does Booth have to do with this?" Brennan asked in confusion. As always when her best friend and partner's name was spoken she got a warm feeling inside, but pushed it down as always. He wasn't interested in her in that way, unfortunately. He'd drawn that line between them a couple of years before and now she had to live with it.

"Are you serious?" Angela asked in astonishment. "He'll be outraged and I feel sorry for the guy who made this fake. Booth'll probably castrate him."

"This won't bother Booth," Brennan said calmly. "I doubt he even knows about this."

"BONES!!!" came the loud angry shout of the man in question.

"He's seen it," Angela said with a sigh as she stood up. There was no way she was going to stick around and listen to the fireworks on this one. The angry visage of Booth, breathing heavy and tie askew, showed up in the door looking like an attacking grizzly bear. "It's not her, Booth," she said softly as she walked around him to get out of the office.

Booth stalked over to Bones' desk and tossed down a printout of the faked image in question.

"Call your lawyer Bones and tell him to sue the sick bastard who did this," Booth demanded. "After that I'll search him out and show him what respectable people think of this kind of shit."

"You mean beat him up," Bones surmised, making no move to her phone.

"No, I thought I'd shoot him in the balls and let him sing soprano the rest of his life," Booth retorted. He knew he was blowing this way out of proportion, but this was Bones he was talking about. Some sick fuck out there had created this image of her and posted it on some website. It was just wrong, and Bones shouldn't have to deal with all this. Not because she was a woman, but because she was Bones and he loved her. Yeah, he loved her. Not that he could do a damn thing about it, though. He had, after all, told her all about a stupid line and she'd brought the fucking thing up at any opportunity that presented itself since then.

"And then I'd have to visit you in jail on visitation days in order to speak with my best friend," she pointed out. "I had enough of that with Russ and my Father."

Well there was that, he admitted to himself. It didn't take away from the anger he felt on her behalf, though. It was like someone had violated her somehow. Not like rape, or anything so heinous, but her image was hers, not someone else's perverted conception of it. If Bones wanted to pose nude, while he would not be thrilled by it, it would be her choice, not some sicko out there. And the images would be the real Bones, not some fantasy.

"It does look very much like me, though," Bones told him thoughtfully. She'd posed nude before while in college for figure studies in the art department, but never had she been photographed in the nude. A few lovers had broached the idea a time or two, but she'd always refused for some reason.

Acting before his rationality could catch up with his body, he gabbed the picture and looked at it closely. "Really?" he asked, taking in the image. Then he realized what he was doing and dropped it like a hot potato. "Sorry, Bones," he said sheepishly.

Bones cocked her head as she looked at her friend. "It's alright, Booth," she told him. "I understand if you're curious as to what I look like naked, and I did say that the image is an excellent likeness of me in that state. Would it help if I let you know that I've often wondered what you look like without any clothes on?"

Booth wanted to preen at that moment, but he didn't. "You've already seen the whole package, Bones," he reminded her, "when you barged in on me when I was in the tub catching up on my reading."

"But I didn't get a good look," she half teasingly protested. She'd thought at the time that he'd lowered himself back into the tub much too soon for her liking, but she'd been angry and not thinking with her more feminine mind at the time. It had been a pretty impressive sight, though.

"Are you saying you want a better look?" Booth took the opportunity that was handed to him. Maybe she was trying to hint that the line was getting a bit old and ridiculous. He was all for that! That damn line was probably the stupidest thing he'd ever said in his life.

"Of course I would," she replied, her mind working a hundred miles an hour at that moment. It was amazing how a faked image of her could produce such wonderful results. "How about my place tonight? We can have some takeout before the unveiling," she suggested.

Booth paused. This could be very very good, or a disaster waiting to happen. He wasn't shy about his looks or physique, but this was Bones and her specialty was the human body. And what if she only wanted to look, but no touching? He didn't want to come off as some sort of lech, but this was Bones and he considered her the epitome of the perfect female body. He wasn't too sure he could adhere to any sort of no touching policy. But he had to do this. It was probably the only chance he'd ever get to eliminate that line. He'd also maybe get her to allow him to find the sick fucker who faked her nude image and beat the shit out of him. He was sure that Carolyn wouldn't press charges against him for that, given the circumstances.

"Seven o'clock?" he asked when he'd made up his mind.

Bones smiled. She turned and walked away towards the lab area. "I'll see you then, Booth," she told him over her shoulder. She didn't see him pump his fist in the air and silently mouth "YES!!!" If she had, she would have smiled even wider. Now if she could just stay focused on work until this evening.

A/N: The next chapter to this is already written and I am just reviewing it to make sure it's the way I want it. I hope that this story is a good one. Let me know what you think. Gregg.